City dads want public hearing on casino
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
SEVERAL Iloilo City councilors want to gauge the public’s sentiment before allowing the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to operate a casino in the city.
Councilor Jason Gonzales said he has no concrete stand on the casino issue for the meantime as he wants to study Pagcor’s proposal first.
Gonzales said he prefers the City Council to conduct a hearing on the issue to get the opinion of various sectors in the city.
Councilor Plaridel Nava said a public hearing must be held on the proposed casino operations in the city since it has been referred to their attention already.
Nava said a pro-forma resolution was attached to the letter of Pagcor president and chief operating officer Rafael A. Francisco endorsing casino operations.
Nava said public opinion matters on the issue since it also involves morals and other concerns.
Councilor Lyndon Acap, chairman of the committee on games and amusement, said he is inclined to let Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog decide on Pagcor’s proposal since it was addressed to the latter.
Acap said it is up to other members of the committee to decide whether to conduct a hearing or not.
Councilor Ely Estante said he has no definite stand on the issue as of now since he is also awaiting the conduct of the public hearing.
Estante said the hearing is necessary to get public sentiment on the issue “as we are just representatives of the people and we are obliged to get their pulse.”
Mabilog had issued a “certificate of no objection” to the Pagcor proposal to operate slot machines and eventually a casino in the premises of Amigo Terrace Hotel and mall complex.
Mabilog cited revenues from the casino as his main consideration in endorsing its presence in the city.
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